Internal-combustion engine.



L. ouFouR.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1917.

1,241,833; Patented Oct. 2,1917.

anon :ourocn, or GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

Application filed April 6, 1917. Serial No. 160,337.

To all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that I, LIiON DUFOUR, englneer, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Geneva, Canton of Geneva, in the Confederation of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In one of the well-known systems of valveless combustion engines the distribution within each cylinder is effected by means of a distributing sleeve movin inside of the :cylinder and provided with a simultaneousrotary and sliding movement.

This combined movement is obtained in the said engines by means of a cross-bar connected with each sleeve'and swung round by two parallel and similar cranks attached at its ends and keyed totwo parallel countershafts which revolve at half the speed of the main-shaft.

The connection between cross-bar and sleeve may be made in the manner as described in the Swiss Letters Patent No. 61999 orthe French Letters Patent No.

464440 granted to the same inventor.

The present invention consists in reducing i to three the number of counter-shafts needed by substituting for the two middle shafts located between the two groups of cylinders one single shaft fitted with all the cranks for working the inside ends of the cross-bars of sleeves. There results from this arrangement a saving by simplifying the constructive parts and also some reduction in width of the space occupied by the machine.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic section illus trating a pair of engine cylinders to which the present invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the crank shaft employed intermediate of the engine cylinders.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 i1lus trating another form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the crank shaft employed between the cylinders in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional plan showing the manner in which the distributing sleeves are connected to the cross bars.

Referring particularly to Fig. l a and a? are the two cylinders of the first pair of cylinders, b and b the distributing sleeves, cl, (Z the cross-bars attached to these sleeves at the points 0 c c, e and c are the three counter-shafts fitted with the cranks 9 9", 9 g and crank pins 70 Is k is. 0 is the main shaft, f the crank pin for working the connecting rods Z Z attached to the pistons h [1. w is the angle between the two axes of cylinders.

The distributing sleeve in each cylinder may be provided with a bifurcated extensionlor lug Z) as indicated in Fig. 5 adapted to receive a pin (Z in the corresponding cross bar and to be received in a recess provlded for the ends of the bifurcated extension in this cross bar in order as will be understood, to not only impart a reciprocating motion from the cross bar to the sleeve, but also to impart a partial rotary motion to the sleeve within the cylinder. It will be further understood that the connection between the distributing sleeve and the corresponding crossbar may be made in the manner hereinbefore described or in either of the ways shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1,182,247 granted to me March 16, 1915 for an improvement in explosive engines.

The working is as follows:

Starting from the position of the upper dead point of piston k this position will also correspond to the upper dead point position of sleeve N, that is to a position where the cranks 9 g are parallel to the axis of cylinder 04 and where the crank pins 70 k are turned upward. The corresponding position of the crank pins 70 I0 is the one shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, that is to say a position turned forwardly with regard to the crank pins 70 is at an angle equal to g (the direction of turning of shaft 0 being clockwise.) Indeed as shafts e e and e are turning in the same direction as the main shaft 0 but at half the speed the crank pins Is 7:: will have turned at an angle 5 while the pin f will have turned at an angle m. In this new position the upper dead point will be reached by sleeve 6, and cylinder h. It will then be noticed that owing to the shown arrangement oflparts the upper dead point of thepistons M, k will alternatively correspond'atea'ch revolution of the main shaft with the upper dead point and the lower dead point of the re spective sleeves. v

Referr'ing-to Fig; 2, which is a plan of the counter-shaft 6 showing the eight crank pins in their respective positions in an eight.

cylinder motor, it will be seen that for each cylinder the upper dead; point "of the piston alternatively coincides-at each revolution of the motor with the upper and lowerdeac points of therespective sleeve;

Fig. 3 shows a second workingform of'the distributing gear wherein forthe two crank pinskflltone single pin is has been substituted, which pin isin an intermedi-atepo- I sition, as shown in the drawing, position which is turned forwardly at an angle 1 with regard to the position ofpin 76 and turned backward at the same angle with regard' to the position of pin 70 To this pin 70' the interior ends of the cross-bars d and 'd of the sleeves b and b are attached. Ascompared to the positions of sleeves Z2 and-b in the preceding example the position of Copies of this patent may be obtained for of cranks of the central counter shaft is diminished to one half which will simplify and cheaperi the construction of such motors.

The two working forms shown of a distributing gear may just as well be employed also for motors with twelve convergent cylinders.

- ll-claim asmy invention:

1. In an internal combustion engine the combination with'a plurality: of-ac'yliriders arranged in pairs wi th'the' axes ofeach pair of cylinders at anangle to'each other,:adistributing *sl'eeve movable in each f cylinder and a crossbar connected to each sleeve, of'a crank shaft intermediate: the pairsof cylinders and to which the adjacent ends of the cross bars of the sleevesiofeach pair of cylinders are connected, and crank shafts to which the distant ends of the cross bars of each pair of cylinders are connected.

2. In'an internal combustion engine the combination with afplurality-of cylinders arranged inpairs-with the axes of thecylilr ders at an angle to each other, adistributing sleeve movableineach cylinder,-a piston within each distributing Y sleeve, 2.- drive shaft and connections between the drive shaft and the pistons, of a single crank shaft interi'n'ediate of the pairs of cylinders and to which the adjacent ends ofthe cross bars of thesleeves of each pair of cylinders are connected,'and crank shafts to which the other or distant ends of the cross bars for each pairofcylinders are connected.

In testimony whereof I haveafi ixed my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

\ LEON DUFOUR.

'VVitnesses Dr. Ron. DE WURTEMBERG, Louis H.- MUNIER.

five'cents eachyby addressingthe fco'mmissio'nen of latents, Washington, D. G. 

